PIFF REVIEWS: 'Fido,' 'Triad Election,' 'Eagle vs Shark'


Here's my contribution to The Oregonian's team coverage of the 30th Portland International Film Festival, which opens today:




'Fido'

My colleague Marc Mohan described "Fido" as "'Far from Heaven' with zombies." Well, exactly.

This gory-sweet comedy is set in an alternate 1950s where fear of the Russians is replaced by fear of the undead: Following the "Zombie Wars," walking corpses are walled out of suburbia -- and domesticated as household servants.

"Fido" starts strong, creating a bright universe of propaganda films, repressed nuclear families and housewives and children packing heat in anticipation of zombie attacks. But then the movie gets sloppy -- half-developing too many story threads (boy-zombie bonding, repressed-dad/horny-mom angst, cover-ups and more) that don't fully deliver on the killer premise.

B-minus; Canada; 98 mins. (9:15 p.m. Saturday Whitsell; 2:15 p.m. Sunday Broadway)
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'Triad Election'

In his crime films, Hong Kong genre master Johnnie To ("The Mission") trusts the viewer to catch up after he drops them into underworlds full of honor-bound characters following half-explained rules.

And trust me: you'll need a scorecard to keep up with all the skullduggery in "Triad Election." But it's worth the effort.

"Triad" traces the bloody career arc of Jimmy (Louis Koo) -- a shady entrepreneur who runs for the top post in Hong Kong's gangster federation so he can expand his business into China. Jimmy's escalating campaign against the incumbent (Simon Lok) is hyperviolent, beautifully shot, politically potent and genuinely tragic.

B; Hong Kong; 92 mins. (5:30 p.m. Sunday Broadway; 6:15 p.m. Tuesday Broadway; and 1:15 p.m. Saturday [2/17] Broadway)
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'Eagle vs Shark'

Geek-girl Lily (Loren Horsley) is romantically fixated on a self-involved video-gamer (Jemaine Clement). But alas -- he's vengefully fixated on a childhood bully.

At Sundance, "Eagle vs Shark" was called "New Zealand's 'Napoleon Dynamite.'" And yes, both films feature deadpan dorks reduced to their outfits and obsessions.

But there's one crucial difference: "Napoleon" was consistently funny.

"Eagle" has scattered charms (Horsley's kind of adorable, even if she and Clement are 10 years too old for their roles). But the movie also tries way too self-consciously hard to be "offbeat." And you simply can't root for Lily's romance with a mean, unpleasant fool.

C; New Zealand; 87 mins. (6 p.m. Mon Broadway; 9 p.m. Tues Broadway; and 6:15 p.m. Thurs Broadway)
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The 30th Portland International Film Festival (NWFilm.org)

PIFF movie reviews: Week 1 (The Oregonian, Feb. 9, 2007)

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Posted: Fri - February 9, 2007 at 11:24 AM        

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